6 minute read
Testing times for the city
Testing times for city
Liverpool Life reporters headed down to a pop-up centre to find out how Liverpool’s mass-testing operation is going
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Two weeks ago, Mayor Joe Anderson called on the people of Liverpool to get out and get tested, whether they were showing Coronavirus symptoms or not. By creating mass testing centres to screen thousands for the virus with rapid results, the Government hope to paint a ‘clearer picture’ of its spread, using our city almost as a geographical petri dish.
Unsurprisingly, the people of Liverpool respond-
Liv Houghton
Prior to hyping myself up to get the test, I had to find out where I was going. I did a quick google and within seconds I found all the testing sites across Liverpool. I found that my nearest test pop up was on the docks, however I had seen people queueing outside St John’s Market. So, for ease and comfort I trekked over into town.
Like Wes, I was initially intimidated by the thought of the length of the queue, and by the time I arrived there must have been around ten people ahead of me. Assuming I was going to be stood there for a considerable amount of time I took out my earphones and put on some music. Almost immediately after doing so, a smart-looking, polite solider came over to me and started chatting. I expected him to be extremely formal and quick to the point, but he was quite the opposite - chatting to me like we were acquaintances and having some friendly banter. This gentleman calmed my nerves and made me almost forget I was there for a test.
The front of the queue was fast approaching and before I knew it, it was my turn to go in. I must have been in the queue for no more than ten minutes and, as Wes recalls, had the form filled out on my smartphone in less than five minutes. A speedy process, particularly speeded up by the attentiveness and friendliness of the British Army. Although I was ed and the past few weeks have seen more than This was very straight forward, especially as I had 100,000 of them take part in a test – ourselves in- a smartphone on me, and took no more than five cluded. So far, the results have proven interesting, minutes to complete. Once my details were regiswith 373 positive cases identified, 292 of these peo- tered to receive my results later, I was issued with a ple were Liverpool residents, with the others from barcode sticker and sent down the hall. surrounding areas. The 373 positive cases are of The next part was the actual test. Again, myself and people who were not displaying symptoms for Cov- two others were slowly talked through the physical id-19 so would have been unlikely to come forward process of sample collection – how and where to for a test before the mass pilot. use the swab, the method of packaging it back up,
But many may be left wondering what is the actual and how to give the sample in. Then, after entering a process of being tested like? testing booth, it was down to me. While I wouldn’t say I’m generally quite squeam-
Photo credits - Unsplash.com
wearing a mask throughout the majority of the operation, unlike Wes, my temperature was not checked. After filling out the form, I was handed a barcode sticker, so I was able to receive my results. Up the escalators I went, and was promptly greeted by another soldier who directed me to the testing booths. His colleague explained how I was to take the test and placed me in booth 1. The swab came in a plastic packet and looked like an elongated earbud. Roughly a month prior to this, I had taken a test through a home testing kit, so I had an unprecise idea of how to go about it. In the booth there was a small mirror, which I used to navigate the swab around my throat. I had to rub the swab on each of my tonsils, and then up one nostril, far, for fifteen seconds. An unpleasant and undesirable experience, but not a particularly painful one. Once done, like Wes, I re-packaged the swab and handed it to the professionals through a little hole in the wall in my booth. And I was done. Striding out of the test centre, slow motioned, hair blowing under the AC, it was safe to say I felt rather proud and accomplished. Proud in the sense I had managed to shove a swab down my throat and up my nose, and accomplished in the sense I had taken Wes Powell ish with needles or much else, having to stick the long, metallic-tasting swab down to the back of my Before setting off to St. John’s Market, I expected there to be queues running all the way down the shopping centre, and figured throat was a pretty awful experience. After this, the test also required I placed it far up my nose and keep it there for a few seconds – which again, wasn’t exactly a pleasurable sensation. However, once I was the process all-in-all would take at least over an satisfied that the sample had been properly taken, hour. Upon arriving, however I soon realised that all I had to do properly package the swab and pass this really wouldn’t be the case. Two army person- it over to a lab worker on the opposite side of the nel took my temperature and directed me up some booth. stairs to more of their colleagues, who walked me And that was me done. After quite a warm ‘thank through the registration process step by step. you’ from the army personnel, who were delightful
Pictures © Wes Powell
to speak to, the process was over. While I had been advised that results were usually given up to a period of 24 hours, I was genuinely blown away when I received a text just under thirty minutes of my test. My result was negative, as I had presumed, but I felt that although in such a small way, I had done my part for the city. I was amazed by the efficiency of the test centre, and truly recommend that everyone should help out by getting tested themselves. While it might not have a huge effect on you personally, especially if you’ve been furloughed from your job and don’t come into contact with others often, the data has the potential to really help the city tackle Coronavirus head on. It doesn’t take long and is undeniably very straight-forward. Twenty minutes of your life isn’t much, and it could well mean that someone else actually gets to live the
rest of theirs.
Picture © Unsplash.com
part in vital measures in order to defeat this horrific and chaotic virus. Perhaps also proud and accomplished on behalf of the British Army, on behalf of the doctors and researchers working tirelessly, and on behalf of the city of Liverpool, the community... in an oddly patriotic, rather emotional way. Within twenty-five minutes, I had my test results back, faultless.
In summary, I was absolutely blown away by the efficiency and ease of the test. The British Army were brilliantly friendly, and I would say quite possibly made my experience. I strongly advise all of those who are thinking about it, to go and take a test. Do it.
